Micah's expectations for USC versus Northwestern

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USC football is coming off a gritty win that was emotionally draining. The Trojans‘ offense was held in check for majority of this game and they had to look in different directions to secure a win against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Lincoln Riley and the Trojans’ offense will try to create a different and easier path to victory in Friday’s matchup against Northwestern.

Here are my 5 bold predictions for the Trojans’ Week 11 game against Northwestern:

 Caleb Komolafe and King Miller will both run for 100 yards

Just like last week’s game, it will be a matchup between two good running backs. Caleb Komolafe has been an encouraging performer for the Wildcats. With USC’s struggle to stop the run, Komolafe will make the Trojans pay. Komolafe is coming off a big day against the Cornhuskers where he ran for 125 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. King Miller will have another week as the bell cow, and he will prove to be up to the challenge once again. With the Trojans’ offensive line getting Elijah Paige back, this unit dominated the Cornhuskers’ defensive line. It should be another week of that with this o-line finally getting back into the groove of things. King Miller has been one of the great stories this season, and his story will have another dominant chapter on Friday.

Jayden Maiava will have a more characteristic passing performance

Earlier this season, Maiava was efficient, and he was lights out. The last few games Maiava struggled and looked like a different passer. There has been more mistakes and he has faced huis fairshare of adversity. For the Trojans to make it to the College Football Playoff Maiava will need to get back to his elite play. This team will not win games if he keeps turning over the ball. It would be a great confidence booster if Maiava could put together a great passing performance against a really good pass defense. I think Maiava has it in him and he will pass for 300 yards and 3 passing touchdowns to lead the Trojans to another win.

Makai Lemon will remind college football he still is a star receiver

After having multiple 100-yard receiving games, Lemon has had a less productive string of two games. Northwestern has a great pass defense, but this is still a good game for Lemon to remind college football just how good he is. Makai Lemon is one of the keys to the Trojans’ offense returning to its prolific state. I expect a big game from Lemon and him to get over 100 yards receiving against the Wildcats.

The Trojans will have the better defensive performance in this game

This is a matchup that will feature two outstanding defenses, but both defenses face two completely different opposing offenses. The Trojans are one of the more prolific offenses in college football, and now are building more consistently in their run game without star running backs. Northwestern has frozen good offenses before, but USC is not an offense that is as comparable. If USC is playing at its best, it could be a long day on defense for the Wildcats. It could be an even tougher day if Northwestern’s offense can not match USC’s firepower. If Northwestern fails to respond to USC’s scoring, this game could get out of hand. USC has a good opportunity to make it a tough day for inconsistent quarterback Preston Stone.

Preston Stone will not be good enough for the Wildcats to win this game

The Trojans being the better defense in this game will lead to a poor performance by Preston Stone. In the games the Wildcats have lost this season, Stone has thrown multiple interceptions. He will have to be great in this game for the Wildcats to get the upset. In all of the big matchups, Stone has been the reason Northwestern has come up short. USC has the perfect ball magnets to steal a couple of passes from Stone. I expect Kamari Ramsey and Bishop Fitzgerald to get an interception in this game. Marcelles Williams could build on his breakout performance last week and chip in with an interception himself. At the very least, the Trojans’ secondary has a great opportunity to take advantage of a trigger-happy average quarterback this week.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: 5 predictions for USC football versus Northwestern

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